Stolen files: Schumacher with his wife Corinna before the accident. Right: his lawyer Sabine Kehm

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An urgent investigation is under way find out how Formula One legend Michael Schumacher's top-secret medical files were stolen.

His manager spoke of her "horror and disgust" as thieves touted a 10-page dossier for sale to media in Britain, Germany and France, demanding a minimum of £40,000.

They claim they have the detailed discharge file compiled by medics when Schumacher, 45, left Grenoble Hospital in France last week to begin rehabilitation in a Swiss hospital.

It is said to list all of the racing driver's treatments and his progress at Grenoble after he was airlifted there December 29 following a skiing accident in the French resort of Meribel.

An email warns that potential buyers can negotiate only by email, not phone. It also said the transfer would be carried out at a lawyer's office in Switzerland and said the buyer must "pay cash upfront to the lawyer".

The email includes an extract from the document claiming to be proof that the dossier is authentic. It carried a price tag of 60,000 Swiss Francs, around £40,000.

Schumacher's manager Sabine Kehm strongly appealed to the media not to publish the data and threatened legal action if any of the information was made public.

She said: "As you can imagine we are horrified and disgusted. We cannot judge if these documents are authentic. However, the documents are clearly stolen. We expressly advise that both the purchase and the publication of such documents and data is forbidden. The contents of any medical files are totally private and confidential."

Grenoble prosecutor Jean-Yves Coquillat confirmed a complaint had been lodged for "theft and violation of medical confidentiality".

Hospital computers are now being examined to find out if they have been hacked or used illegally.

Schumacher was transferred from Grenoble to Lausanne on June 16 to begin rehabilitation He is unable to talk or walk and continues to slip in and out of consciousness.

It was 25 weeks since he suffered his life-threatening accident during a skiing holiday with family and friends. While skiing off-piste he struck a partially-covered rock, lost control and catapulted 34 feet on to another rock.

He smashed his head on the bolder and the force of the collision shattered his helmet.

The hospital in Lausanne, where the seven-time F1 champion is now being treated is just 20 miles from his £50 million home on the shores of Lake Geneva.